Chapter 1070: Man’s Ego is The Most Vulnerable Thing in The World

Chapter 1070 – Man’s Ego is The Most Vulnerable Thing in The World

Victor looked at Elise. "Then who are you targeting?"

Hugo folded his arms. "His assets? His business? We don’t even know what it is."

Elise’s smile widened. "Naomi."

The name settled in the car.

Hugo’s expression shifted from irritation to confusion.

Victor’s eyes sharpened.

Elise turned back to the window, watching the outer gate draw closer. "Lux Vaelthorn may be dangerous," she said softly. "But men like him still have pride."

Hugo frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Elise’s reflection smiled. "If he finds out Naomi was sleeping around with another man..."

Hugo went still.

Victor did not move at all.

Elise continued, voice gentle as poison poured into crystal. "He will throw her away and I... will replace her."

The car seemed colder.

Hugo stared at his sister.

For once, his usual smirk disappeared completely. "You want to frame Naomi?"

Elise looked at him. "Frame is such an ugly word."

"That’s what you mean."

"I mean," Elise said, "that trust can be damaged more easily than power."

Victor watched his daughter in silence.

Elise leaned back, eyes half-lidded, elegant and cruel in the dim car interior. "Lux may have money. Influence. Mystery. Maybe even something bigger behind him. But his weakness is clear."

Hugo’s brows drew together.

Elise smiled. "Naomi."

The word came out soft.

Envious.

Furious.

Fascinated.

"She sits beside him like she owns safety. He touches her like she belongs somewhere no one can bargain over. He refuses to treat her as an asset because he wants to believe what they have is above transaction." Her fingers tightened faintly on her knee. "So we make the relationship look like a bad investment."

Hugo’s face darkened.

"Man’s ego," Elise whispered, "is the most vulnerable thing in the world."

Victor finally spoke. "Not all men."

Elise looked at him.

Victor’s gaze was cold. "Dangerous men do not always react by discarding what was damaged."

Elise paused. That was not the answer she expected.

Victor continued, "Some destroy the person who damaged it."

Hugo pointed at Victor. "Exactly. Thank you. This is what I’m saying. If you fake Naomi sleeping around, and he finds out it’s fake, he won’t just sue you. He might..." He paused, remembering the words. "Breathe."

Elise’s lips tightened. "You both are overestimating him."

"No," Victor said. "You are underestimating him because you want him."

Elise’s eyes flashed. The sentence hit harder because it came from Victor.

Her father rarely accused directly unless he was already certain.

"I don’t want him," she said.

Victor held her gaze.

Elise’s smile sharpened defensively. "I want what he represents."

"Same mistake," Victor said.

Hugo leaned back. "Wow. That was actually good."

Victor ignored him.

Elise looked out the window again. Her reflection looked calm.

Inside, she was not.

"She is not better than me," Elise said quietly.

Hugo looked at her.

Victor did too.

Elise’s voice stayed soft. "Naomi acts like she chose love and that makes her pure. But everyone can be priced. Everyone can be doubted. Everyone can be dirtied."

Hugo’s expression became uneasy. There were moments when Elise’s cruelty amused him. This was not one of those moments.

"Elise," he said slowly, "this sounds less like strategy and more like jealousy."

She smiled without warmth. "Jealousy is only desire with direction."

Hugo stared. "That is the most toxic thing you’ve said today."

"And yet accurate."

Victor looked out the window. His daughter was sharp. Too sharp sometimes. Sharp people cut even themselves if they held the blade too tightly.

"Do nothing yet," Victor said.

Elise turned. "Father—"

"I said nothing yet." His voice left no room. "We need information first. About Lux. About his secretary. About whatever Adrian suddenly gained from him. If we move blindly, we risk walking into something already prepared."

Hugo muttered, "Like Maribelle’s appendix."

Elise shot him a glare.

Hugo shrugged. "What? She said questions go there."

Victor looked at him. "And you will not approach her recklessly."

Hugo’s face tightened. "I wasn’t going to."

"You were."

"I was going to submit a proposal."

Elise laughed. "You don’t have a proposal."

"I can make one."

"You don’t have a brain."

"I’ll include that in the appendix."

Despite himself, Victor almost sighed.

His children were both compromised, just in opposite directions.

Elise wanted Lux because Naomi had him.

Hugo wanted Maribelle because she had refused him like a professional executioner.

This was not ideal.

But it was useful information.

Desire was weakness.

Even in his own children.

Especially in his own children.

Victor’s voice lowered. "Listen. Lux Vaelthorn is now close to Adrian. That means Adrian may regain control of the project faster than expected. Our timeline changes."

Elise’s expression sharpened again, returning to business.

"Hugo," Victor said, "you will look into Maribelle. Quietly."

Hugo’s eyes brightened before he suppressed it.

Victor noticed. "Information only."

"Yes, Father."

"Elise." She looked at him. "You will not touch Naomi’s reputation without my approval."

Her mouth tightened.

Victor’s eyes hardened. "I mean it."

Elise held his gaze. Then smiled faintly. "Of course."

Hugo snorted. "That means she’s going to do it."

Elise looked at him. "And that means you’re going to flirt with the secretary and call it research."

"At least my research won’t get us murdered."

"No, it will get you rejected in writing."

Hugo leaned back, annoyed. "She is not that impressive."

Elise smiled. "You remembered her name."

"So did you."

"She works for the man I’m studying."

"She insulted me. Naturally I remember."

Victor let them bicker for a few seconds.

Sometimes, siblings revealed more through cruelty than cooperation.

Then the car passed through the estate gate.

The Delacour mansion disappeared behind them.

Victor looked back once.

Adrian had changed.

Celeste had changed.

Naomi had changed most of all.

And Lux Vaelthorn had been the catalyst.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

He did not know what Lux was.

But he understood one thing clearly.

A man who could change a house in one afternoon was not merely a guest.

He was an invading economy.

And Victor had no intention of being outbid.